Jonatan Berggren has something to prove.
Signed to a one-year, $825,000 deal, the Swedish winger Berggren wants to prove he’s an NHL-caliber player after spending most of last season in the AHL. For a Detroit lineup that has lost a lot of firepower in the offseason, the need for him to assert himself is equally apparent.
“This is a year for me to prove that I can belong in this league,” Berggren said Thursday on the opening day of Red Wings training camp. “So my focus on training camp is just come in with a great attitude and show them what player I am and how big a summer I had.”
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Berggren played in just 12 NHL games last season after playing 67 in his rookie year the season prior. His call-ups showed flashes of the offensive impact he can make through his vision and deception, but they also exposed his flaws. Berggren was a minus defender in many of his appearances, almost all of which came in a depth role on the fourth line.
Now, the task for Berggren becomes proving he can deliver on defense.
“Two-way game,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said of the expectations for Berggren this season. “You talk about actions, the first action is he had a great summer. He looks leaner. He looks like he’s got a little bit more pop. He’s done his work. Now, it’s just being a little more responsible in that two-way game.”
Berggren’s position is interesting because as much as he is ready for an NHL role, his exact role might not align so well with the available roles within Detroit’s lineup. He’s a scoring-first winger whose defensive deficiencies have cost him shifts and games in the past when coaches didn’t trust him to deliver a solid two-way game. The need for a stronger defensive contribution hasn’t changed, but Berggren now has a doubled-down opportunity to prove he can meet expectations.
It’s an ask Lalonde is making up and down the lineup, to be better defensively. Losing a number of key scorers such as David Perron, Shayne Gostisbehere and Daniel Sprong, the Red Wings aren’t built to keep outscoring their problems like last season. So, they’ve got to lower the amount of goals they actually need to win games. If a penny saved is a penny earned, then a goal saved might very well be two points in the standings. And if defense is even more valuable this season, then the need for Berggren to improve becomes all the more apparent.
Detroit has tried to address these defense shortcomings with Berggren, and he cited meeting with coaches over the summer as something that helped him work on his defense. He also watched film from smaller-sized forwards who excel at defense, though he didn’t specify exactly who these players were. To build up a side of his play that relies as much on mental speed and decision-making as rote skills, Berggren put in the work.
Now, it’s on Berggren to apply these teachings. Berggren’s upcoming season isn’t so much a prove-it in the sense of proving he can be an NHLer — Detroit and anyone watching has long known he can deliver as a scorer. Instead, his deal seeks to prove that he can shine in the specific role the Red Wings can offer him. It’s a prove-you-can-defend deal. He must show versatility to separate himself from replacements. He has to prove he has learned from last season.
“I think he just got caught in our organization last year with a lot of like players that were probably ahead of him at the NHL level,” Lalonde said. “But he’s got a great opportunity. … He can create offense by playing the right way. He’s talented enough. His offensive IQ is great, (but) it’s his responsibility on a little more of a two-way game.”
Berggren’s defensive responsibility could determine his future within the Red Wings organization, too. His name has circled trade rumors multiple times since last December. And because he is no longer waiver exempt, Detroit has to keep him on the roster or otherwise risk losing him for free on waivers. So, if he doesn’t show this season that he can make a defensive impact, then his prove-it deal might end in the Red Wings cutting their losses and moving him elsewhere.
Heading into this season, Berggren knows the stakes. Now, it’s about living up to them.
“I felt like when I got the chance, I did pretty good,” Berggren said of last season. “I was an offensive threat and did a couple points. But like always, I know I can be an offensive player here. Just take care of the defense and the rest will probably come later.”
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